How to Install a Range Hood

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Clear your kitchen of smoke, food odors, and airborne grease by installing an appliance that’s up to the task.

Whether integrated underneath the cabinets or suspended over a kitchen island, the range hood is the unsung hero in the kitchen, rarely appreciated for the crucial role it performs in eliminating the airborne grease, smells, smoke, and heat produced during meal prep. If you’re getting ready to upgrade old appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators as part of a kitchen renovation, don’t forget the range hood—it deserves consideration, too.

You may have a general idea of what you’d like in a new range hood, but you may still be overwhelmed by the wide variety of prices and models available today. Selecting and installing a range hood involves more than just picking out an appliance that complements your existing range. To find a model that fits your kitchen space and cooking style, keep the following particulars in mind. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions for how to install a range hood.

Project Overview

Working Time: 1 hour if there’s no ductwork to install. Up to 4 hours, including ductwork installation.
Total Time: 1 to 4 hours
Skill Level: Intermediate
Estimated Cost: $100-400+, depending on the hood selected

Before You Begin

If you’re a handy DIYer, it’s relatively simple to switch out an existing range hood with a newer model. Moving a range hood’s location during a kitchen renovation or installing one for the first time, however, will require some accommodations. Here are a few other considerations to keep in mind before getting down to work on your kitchen hood installation.

Ductless vs. Ducted Range Hoods

Range hoods use fans to draw up grease and smoke, along with food odors and excess heat, but not all hoods perform the task equally well. The difference between average and effective models largely depends on the type of ventilation available: ductless or ducted.

Ductless models do not vent to the outside of your house. The fan on a ductless range hood draws in air and circulates it through a charcoal filter, which traps grease and some odors, but it’s usually not as effective as a range hood that vents outside. The less expensive of the two styles, ductless range hoods can cost as little as $50, and up to several hundred dollars.
Ducted range hoods are more effective than their ductless counterparts, and they, too, vary widely in price. Ducted range hoods draw in cooking air, then whisk it outside your home via a wall vent—or upward through the ceiling joists and roof. More affordable options start under $100, but homeowners who want a high-efficiency or designer ducted hood could pay well over $1,000.

The popular and space-efficient microwave-hood combinations also come in ductless and ducted varieties. The mistake that some homeowners make when shopping for one of these units, however, is that they focus more on the microwave’s bells and whistles than the unit’s ventilation capabilities. Do your research, and make sure you’re selecting a microwave-hood that’s sufficiently effective and efficient for your needs.

Fan Motor Placement

Some range hoods sound like airplanes getting ready to take off, while others are virtually silent. The noise difference has a lot to do with the location of the fan motor. Read the packaging carefully, or research online before purchasing, to determine where the unit’s blower is located.

Those who want a quieter stovetop-cooking experience should look for a range hood that comes with a remote blower. You’ll still turn on the fan the same way, via a switch on the hood, but the fan is farther away from the range—often either midway in a duct or on the top of the roof—thereby buffering the noise. If your kitchen is open to the living or dining area, or if guests always seem to congregate in your kitchen, the desire to cook and converse without having to yell over a fan may be worth the additional cost.

Range Hood Sizes

Electric and gas ranges come in a wide variety of sizes, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there isn’t a set standard range hood size. These integral kitchen appliances are designed to pull in the heat, cooking odor, and airborne grease from the range below. To best manage this task, range hoods should be the same width as the range.

With this in mind, you can find range hoods in an equally wide variety, commonly ranging from 24 inches in width to 60 inches. Wider wall-mounted and suspended island models are also available for custom kitchen designs.

Configuration

For microwave-hood combinations, the bottom of the cabinet above the range should be at least 30 inches above the cooking surface to leave room for the installation. Fortunately, many contractors install this cabinet configuration in new homes for just that reason. The 30-inch distance is also the preferred upper-cabinet height for under cabinet range hood installation without a microwave, although individual models may have different requirements; once you’ve picked a unit, read and follow the manufacturer’s recommended height specifications.

Power Supply

If you’ve chosen a combined microwave-range hood model, there must be an electrical outlet in the cabinet above the unit in order to power the fan motor and microwave. While it’s not required by building code, many new-home contractors install that outlet on a separate 15- or 20-amp circuit that has enough juice to run a microwave.

If you’re installing a new hood and there’s no outlet nearby, you’ll need to hire an electrician to install an outlet near the hood’s proposed location before you can proceed. Not all simple range hoods require a designated outlet, but microwave-hood combinations should definitely have their own circuit.

Venting Configuration

Both single hoods and microwave-hood combination units come with templates that mark where to pre-drill or cut holes for screws, a power supply, and vent. The template will also show you where to attach the bracket that supports a hood combo on an exterior wall. If you are installing an outside-venting range hood but you’re not mounting it on an exterior wall, the model you select should have the option of upward venting. if you go that route, you’ll have to run the ducting through the ceiling. Installing ductwork for a range hood might be the most challenging part of this DIY. Consider outsourcing this part of the job to a professional.